Australian Energy Market Operator

AEMO operates Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM), the interconnected power system in Australia’s eastern and south-eastern seaboard, and the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) and power system in Western Australia.

AEMO operates gas retail markets in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. AEMO also operates wholesale gas markets in south-eastern Australia, those being the Declared Wholesale Gas Market in Victoria (DWGM), the Short Term Trading Market in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney (STTM), and the Gas Supply Hub (GSH), whose trading locations are based at Wallumbilla in Queensland, and Moomba in South Australia. AEMO also operates the Natural Gas Services Bulletin Board (GBB), and is system operator of the Victorian Gas Declared Transmission System. AEMO is also responsible for Gas Services Information functions in Western Australia.

Market procedures

NSW/ACT, QLD, SA and VIC

Part 15B clause 135EA of the National Gas Rules (NGR) sets out the scope of activities to be managed under the gas procedures, and clause 135EB sets out the preconditions required for making procedures under the NGR.

In essence, AEMO may only make or change procedures if AEMO is satisfied the new procedure or changed procedure is consistent with the National Gas Law (NGL)/NGR and is appropriate, having regard to the national gas objective and any relevant Access Arrangement.

AEMO may make procedures that impact on the management of all aspects associated with the effective operation of a retail gas market that is subject to the NGL/NGR. Procedures have been established for each jurisdiction and provide the detail of the obligations of industry participants for the operation of jurisdictional gas retail markets.

The NGR prescribes the process to be used in making (or changing) the gas procedures. It requires that AEMO establish an "approved process" to be used for this purpose. The approved process is a consultative and inclusive process designed to ensure that any change to the procedures is developed and implemented with due regard to impacted stakeholder concerns. Any stakeholder is provided the opportunity to participate in the consultation for the development of a procedure change before AEMO approves any change.

The approved process is used for all procedures governing gas markets operated by AEMO, and includes the declared wholesale market and all retail gas markets. The ability to change the Retail Market Procedures is defined in Part 15B of the NGR and is covered by the approved process which you can view below.

This industry agreed guideline outlines the change management framework for gas retail markets operated by AEMO. This document should be applied for changes to the jurisdictional Retail Market Procedures (RMP) and Technical Protocols (TPs) (together known as procedures), which are changed in accordance with the Approved Process (AP).

WA

AEMO administers the AEMO Retail Market Scheme under the Energy Coordination Act 1994 in Western Australia for the gas retail market. This Scheme consists of a the Western Australian Gas Retail Market Agreement (WAGRMA) between gas market participants (including gas retailers and gas network operators) and AEMO as administrator, and the Retail Market Procedures (WA) covering the requirements and processes to facilitate the ability for customers to choose their preferred retailer. The Procedures require all market participants to comply with the AEMO Specification Pack and the FRC Hub Operational Terms and Conditions, and these documents are also part of the AEMO Retail Market Scheme.

On the 31 October 2016, AEMO was established to be the administrator of the West Australian Retail Market Scheme.

The scheme needs to evolve over time as the gas retail market develops, and so Chapter 9 of the Retail Market Procedures (WA) contains a ‘Procedure change process’. The Procedure change process is a consultative and inclusive process designed to ensure that any changes to the Scheme documents (Western Australian Gas Retail Market Agreement, Procedures, AEMO Specification Pack and FRC Hub Terms & Conditions) are developed and implemented in a controlled fashion.

AEMO or any gas retail market participant can raise issues with the gas retail market and/or propose a change to the Scheme. Market issues and proposed changes to the Scheme documents are explored and developed by AEMO is conjunction with the Procedure Change Committee (PCC). Having considered the PPC views on any changes to the Scheme documents AEMO will determine whether to reject, accept or modify any proposed change. All changes to the scheme are subject to approval of the Western Australian Economic Regulation (ERA) Authority for approval.

Market participants are to use the following templates for their communication with the PCC: